MEN'S BASKETBALL: On barbeque night, the Pirates' men's basketball team led from the early going on in their 77-59 victory over Santa Barbara City College Saturday night at the Athletic Event Center. Jalen Young led three Pirates in double figures with 15 points and six assists while Vondel Faniel and Jon McMurry each posted double-doubles, Faniel with 14 points and 13 rebounds and McMurry recording 13 points and 10 boards respectively. Anthony Morman and Ivan Dooley each scored nine points for VC (15-11, 8-2).
The Vaqueros held two breif leads early, but McMurry's 3-pointer off of Young's assist at the 14:48 mark gave the Pirates a 6-5 advantage, a lead they would not relinquish. That basket began a 12-0 Pirate run which culminated with faniel's bucket from a Dooley assist, making the score 15-5 with 10:51 remaining in the half. Ventura led by as many as 12 points twice in the half and took a 33-21 lead into halftime.
Morman opened the second half with a dunk and the Pirates never looked back. The lead stayed in double figures, mainly remaining in the 15-19 point range, as the Pirates cruised to the 77-59 victory. The win keeps Ventura a half game behind Cuesta (9-2 in the WSC) in the conference title hunt. The Pirates have two games remaining while the Cougars have one game left.
Ventura will return to action in their final regular season home contest on Wednesday Feb. 19 when they host third-place Canyons. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 pm following the VC women's game at 5:00 pm and can be heard live online on the VC Men's Sports Network.